Via Istrum Tamyanka chateau burgozone
Known locally as Tamyanka, Muscat Blanc a Petit Grains thrives in Bulgaria’s Danube Plain, enjoying the long, warm growing season and the well-drained calcareous soils. This grape variety, part of the broader Muscat family, is loved for its charm, delicacy, and concentration of flavour.
The Muscat family is complex and diverse. However, three core varieties stand out: Muscat of Alexandria, Muscat Ottonel, and Muscat Blanc à Petit Grains. Of these, Blanc à Petit Grains is regarded as the most distinguished. It is versatile, producing wines in a wide palette of colours—white, pink, and red—and breadth of styles ranging from dry and still to sweet, sparkling, fortified, and even deliberately oxidised.
Château Burgozone’s Via Istrum Tamyanka is a fine example of a still, dry Muscat. To produce a high-quality dry Muscat, achieving full ripeness in the grapes is crucial. This variety tends to ripen late, and if harvested prematurely, the resulting wines can taste muted and green. Additionally, Muscat Blanc à Petit Grains is known for its high phenolic content, which, if not managed correctly, can impart bitterness and astringency. Therefore, it thrives best in climates with Mediterranean influences, where long, warm, and sunny growing seasons allow it to reach full maturity.
A key characteristic of Muscat Blanc à Petit Grains is its abundance of terpenes, a group of aromatic compounds responsible for the grape’s distinctive citrus, floral, and spice notes. These terpenes are also found in other aromatic grape varieties, such as Gewürztraminer and Torrontés, and even in plants like cannabis.
At Château Burgozone, the viticultural team takes great care to ensure their Muscat grapes achieve full phenolic ripeness. Low yields—approximately 15 hl/ha—and careful selection of the grapes through manual harvesting and sorting, ensures ripe, healthy fruit is used, enhancing the concentration of flavours and maximising the wine’s quality potential. Fermentation is carried out to complete dryness, with the process taking place in stainless steel tanks at controlled, cool temperatures of 14–16°C, minimising oxygen exposure, and helping to preserve the airy and gleeful fruit character for which the variety is known.
Vibrant and expressive, Via Istrum has a rich, slightly oily texture balanced by a light, almond peel bitterness. Bone dry but with an opulent and exotic scent of honeysuckle, orange peel, and apricot. Uncompromisingly Muscat.
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